James Corden to debut as CBS's 'Late Late Show' host in March

[October 24, 2014] LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS late night talk show "The Late Late Show" with new host James Corden will premiere on March 9, the U.S. broadcast network said on Thursday.

Corden, a Tony Award-winning 36-year-old British actor, will replace Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson, who will leave the late-night show in December. Corden will also play one of the leading roles in Disney's December musical movie "Into the Woods."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti praised CBS for keeping the show in the city as California politicians have sought to stem the outflow of entertainment production which has been lured by tax incentives from other states.

"I want to thank CBS for keeping 'The Late Late Show' in Los Angeles," Garcetti said in a statement. "We are proud to be home to so many CBS productions that provide thousands of jobs for Angelenos."

NBC's "Tonight Show" moved to New York from its longtime home in Burbank, California in February when new host Jimmy Fallon took over from Jay Leno.

California politicians fought to keep the "Tonight Show" in Burbank, and they also unsuccessfully tried to lure CBS's "Late Show" to Los Angeles from New York when Stephen Colbert takes the reins from David Letterman next year.

New York was able to keep the "Late Show" by offering tax credits and grants for job commitments from CBS.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Diane Craft)

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